Somewhere Only We Know

“Why do I have to stay with you?” Iker mumbled as he followed Ariana up towards her apartment. It had been a couple of days since they had gotten back together and, after receiving the all clear from his doctor, the keeper had been discharged, something which pleased him greatly. Thanks to her shifts at the hospital, Iker had hardly seen his girlfriend since their reconciliation and he couldn’t wait to spend time with her. He was still very much in the phase of their relationship where he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, let alone keep his hands off of her, and he didn’t want to be apart from her for very long.

“Because your doctor doesn’t trust you. He thinks you are playing him” Ariana mused as she slipped the key into the lock of her apartment, pushing the door open slightly.

“I am not” Iker pouted.

“I know that and you know it, but in order to get you out of there, I said you could stay with me for the night. Just so that I can keep an eye on you and make sure that you eat and sleep” she explained as she pushed into the hallway, setting his small bag down beside the door.

Iker smirked a little. “I like the idea of having my own personal doctor” he purred as he wrapped his arms around her, his lips skillfully nipping at the skin of her neck.

“Well, don’t get to used to it. One night only your doctor said” Ariana teased as she weaseled out of her boyfriend’s grip.

Iker scoffed playfully and followed her, pressing her body against the wall of the hallway. He liked it, Ariana was the best at teasing him, but it was all starting to get a little much for the goalkeeper. He had to be patient, he wanted Ariana to be ready before he tried to get her into bed, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease her a little in return. He wanted to make her ready sooner rather than later.

“Iker” Ariana breathed as she felt her back brush against the wall.

The keeper smiled. “Did you honestly think I was just going to let you duck away without a kiss Ari?” he teased, his hands holding her hips. Ariana blushed and hid her face, a sight that never failed to make Iker chuckle. She was beautiful, but he still loved the way she shied away from him. It was one of her cuter quirks. “Ari” he murmured, his hand tracing the line from her waist to her chin “You’re beautiful amor, there is no need to hide that, especially not from me” he cooed as he caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her face back.

Ariana smiled a little before she moved forwards, kissing him quickly. Iker caught her as she attempted to move away and deepened the kiss, evoking a little groan from his girlfriend. Iker smirked at the sound. He doubted he had ever heard anything more entrancing. Iker held her in place and continued to kiss her before the sound of the front door opening caught his ears, causing him to pull back reluctantly. “Who is here?” he murmured, his nose softly tracing the space between her lips and nose.

“My parents and Aaron don’t fly back until next week. They’re still staying here” she returned as she moved to weasel away from him once more.

Iker frowned. “Are they mad at me?” he whispered as he heard footsteps padding towards them. He was concerned, Lucia’s actions were likely to have had a knock-on effect with regards to his relationship with Ariana’s family, and he wanted to know what to expect. He doubted that he would be Harry or Aaron’s favorite person at that moment.

Ariana shook her head. “Not you. My parents and brother were the leaders of the Iker cheer squad. They were pretty sure that it was Lucia who caused the problem, not you” she explained with a little smile. She liked that it meant so much to him, his impressions on her family, and she couldn’t help but smile. His concerned little frown was adorable.

“Really?” he quipped.

“Really” Isabella confirmed, her eyes gleaming at the sight of the keeper with her daughter. She had been worried, Ariana had been so sure that she never wanted to be near Iker again, but she was glad to see that her daughter had changed her mind. Iker was a good man, Isabella’s mind hadn’t changed about that, and she knew her daughter could see it to. Ariana may have been a little stubborn, but she wasn’t stupid.

Iker spared another look towards Ariana before he turned to Isabella, offering her a little smile. “It’s nice to see you again Mrs Costa” he murmured.

Isabella rolled her eyes teasingly. “Oh come on Iker, it’s Bella to you” she quipped with a little laugh.

Iker blushed a little before Ariana gripped hold of his hand. “We were about to make some lunch weren’t we Iker?” she posed, noting just how uncomfortable he appeared.

Iker nodded. “We were. Can we make something for you Bella?” he posed.

Isabella shook her head. “I only came back to get your dad’s credit card. He’s treating me to a shopping trip before we go home” she enthused.

Ariana nodded. “I will see you later then mama” she murmured. Isabella flashed her a small smile before she pulled her into a hug. “You made the right call Ari” she whispered into her ear as she held her daughter close. Ariana blushed and nodded. “I think so too” she quipped back.

~#~
“How do you want to work this?” Iker posed as he stood in the door way of Ariana’s bedroom, his dark eyes fixed on his girlfriend’s frame. He could tell that she was a little unsure, with her parents having taken Lucia’s old room and Aaron still sleeping on the couch, it had left Iker no choice but share her room, but he didn’t want to push his luck. Ariana had only just taken him back, he didn’t want to ruin it by doing something stupid like crawling into bed with her.

Ariana, who had been quietly removing the slipper socks she wore, looked up, a little nervous glimmer in her blue eyes. “I…uh…I don’t know. Why don’t you take the bed and I will sleep on the floor?” she suggested, removing the jumper she wore over her white tank top.

Iker shook his head. “I am not going to make you sleep on the floor Ari. You take the bed, I will take the air mattress” he insisted, trying to tear his eyes away from her. She looked stunning, even in her pajamas, and Iker was struggling to keep his emotions in check. A large part of him wanted nothing more than to take Ariana into his arms and kiss until her mind went numb.

“Iker, you’re the one who needs to sleep, not me. Get in the bed, I will take the floor” Ariana insisted as she moved to collect the woolen blanket from the linen cupboard.

“It’s your bed Ari, I am not going to force you out of it” Iker returned smartly, a little smirk on his face.

Ariana playfully glared at him. “You’re making this hard Iker” she quipped.

“That was the idea. I was going to keep fighting you until you got irked and got into the bed” he teased with a little shrug.

Ariana rolled her eyes. “Iker, please, just get in bed. Your doctor wants you resting up and I want that hand of yours to be comfortable” she murmured as she motioned to his cast. He would be in it for another six weeks before he could even contemplate training.

Iker shook his head. “Not if it means you catching cold on the air mattress Ari” he returned “You take the bed, I will rest up my hand tomorrow night when I go home” he murmured as he moved to take the blanket out of her hand.

“You sleep in your jeans?” she quipped.

Iker shook his head. “I sleep in my boxers and my t-shirt” he commented as he moved to undo the buckle of his belt. Ariana’s blue eyes were transfixed for a moment before she turned away, her pale cheeks obviously pink. Iker chuckled and shimmied out of his jeans, padding across the small room towards her. “Ari, you’re my girlfriend, it is perfectly acceptable for you to look when I take my clothes off” he joked, touching her shoulder to make her look at him.

Ariana nodded. “I know, I am just a little shy about it. Bear with me?” she posed.

Iker nodded. “Of course” he conceded.

Ariana flashed him a soft smile before she pecked his lips, moving to climb into the bed. Iker watched her and moved to return to his spot on the air mattress, only to feel Ariana’s hand wrap around the wrist that didn’t sit in a cast. “Why don’t we share the bed?” she suggested, her pretty blue eyes peeking up through her lashes at him.

Iker tilted his head. “You’d be ok with that? Just a second ago, you couldn’t watch me take my jeans off” he teased.

“Keep talking like that and I will cancel the offer” she quipped.

Iker chuckled before he touched her cheek gently. “Are you sure?” he murmured.

Ariana nodded. “Yes, Iker, I want you to share my bed with me. I want to know what it is like to have you hold me close” she mused with a cute smile.

Iker marveled at it before he kissed her gently. “Ari, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to” he mumbled, pecking her lips softly.

“I know, you’ve already demonstrated that you are happy to sleep on the floor, but I would like you to sleep up here Iker. Do you not want to?” she posed, a little flash of hurt appearing in her blue eyes.

Iker nodded. “Of course I do Ari, I just want to be sure that you are ok with it first. I don’t want to mess up” he assured her with a slight smile.

Ariana returned it and peeled back the covers, carefully climbing inside. Iker watched her, still a little unsure. “Iker” she muttered “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to climb in here with me?” she teased.

Iker rolled his eyes slightly and carefully climbed into the bed, his arm wrapping loosely around her waist and pulling her against him a little. Ariana blushed at the feel of him so close, something which caused Iker to drop a kiss on her cheek. “I can go and sleep on the floor if you would prefer” he murmured.

Ariana shook her head. “No, stay” she insisted, adjusting a little.

Iker smiled and kissed her cheek again. “I love you” he mumbled, his nose gently brushing against the skin of his neck. Ariana closed her eyes and smiled, murmuring the words softly in return.